So how much of AMOL was real - i.e. RJ's intention, as opposed to Branfiction? - Edit 2
Before modification by Shannow at 01/02/2013 01:57:06 PM
This is a question of great significance to me.
After reaching the end of the series on which years of theories have been based, many people have been waiting eagerly to get their theories either confirmed or proven wrong.
So at the end of it all, what bugs me is how much of what Brandon wrote in AMOL was "real" canon - i.e. RJ's thoughts on any particular matter - and how much did he make up?
For example:
Did Brandon change Demandred's identity from Roedran to some random Sharan savior after seeing the internet speculation on the matter?
Did RJ state that Lan would kill Demandred or did he merely outline that Demandred would die after a long battle involving the bulk of the Light's forces?
Did RJ prescribe that Demandred would engage in three swordfighting duels with lightside blademasters - despite all indications up to now being that Demandred was more of a statesman than a sportsman like Sammael - or did Brandon do that solely to get a reason for Lan to be the one that got to kill Demandred in the end?
Personally, I was surprised that Demandred even owned a sword, after the disdain he displayed toward the primitive customs of this time, and the fact that nothing in his write up thus far referred to any hint of sword skills.
Brandon even inserted a random line to seemingly cover this discrepancy, when Gawyn or Galad mentioned that he hadn't heard before that Demandred was a renowned swordsman and was therefore surprised at Demandred's skill.
This is a very stupid line, given that we are told earlier in the series that even the White Tower's knowledge of the Forsaken was based on scraps of information, and that Moiraine's limited knowledge in the early series was pretty much the extent of what even the Tower libraries knew about the Forsaken.
Therefore no one like Gawyn or Galad would even expect to know which of the Forsaken were renowned swordsmen or anything else for that matter. Gawyn should not have thought Demandred's skill to be something unexpected, as he should have been totally unaware of anything related to Demandred whatsoever in the first place. Gawyn should not know as much about Demandred as we do, who have had access to the deepest levels of information available, unlike Gawyn.
This would make it seem as if Brandon completely invented Demandred's whole swordfighting plot arc in AMOL, and threw in that random line just to try and soften the impact a bit.
The questions are endless, but what I am trying to determine is how much of AMOL answers longstanding questions on for example the comparative strength of channelers based on RJ's own views, and how much of it is simply interpretation and adaption from Brandons' imagination?
Can a normal Aes Sedai really split her flows three ways and simultaneously shield two full Ashaman?
In Brandon's view she can, but this is not at all the impression that RJ has conveyed up to now.
Was Egwene's death clearly described by RJ, or did Brandon make up the manner of her death, being told simply that she dies heroically in the Last Battle?
I guess the question is, can we take ANYTHING in AMOL as canon according to RJ, or is everything suspect due to Brandon's faulty understanding of RJ's views?
After reaching the end of the series on which years of theories have been based, many people have been waiting eagerly to get their theories either confirmed or proven wrong.
So at the end of it all, what bugs me is how much of what Brandon wrote in AMOL was "real" canon - i.e. RJ's thoughts on any particular matter - and how much did he make up?
For example:
Did Brandon change Demandred's identity from Roedran to some random Sharan savior after seeing the internet speculation on the matter?
Did RJ state that Lan would kill Demandred or did he merely outline that Demandred would die after a long battle involving the bulk of the Light's forces?
Did RJ prescribe that Demandred would engage in three swordfighting duels with lightside blademasters - despite all indications up to now being that Demandred was more of a statesman than a sportsman like Sammael - or did Brandon do that solely to get a reason for Lan to be the one that got to kill Demandred in the end?
Personally, I was surprised that Demandred even owned a sword, after the disdain he displayed toward the primitive customs of this time, and the fact that nothing in his write up thus far referred to any hint of sword skills.
Brandon even inserted a random line to seemingly cover this discrepancy, when Gawyn or Galad mentioned that he hadn't heard before that Demandred was a renowned swordsman and was therefore surprised at Demandred's skill.
This is a very stupid line, given that we are told earlier in the series that even the White Tower's knowledge of the Forsaken was based on scraps of information, and that Moiraine's limited knowledge in the early series was pretty much the extent of what even the Tower libraries knew about the Forsaken.
Therefore no one like Gawyn or Galad would even expect to know which of the Forsaken were renowned swordsmen or anything else for that matter. Gawyn should not have thought Demandred's skill to be something unexpected, as he should have been totally unaware of anything related to Demandred whatsoever in the first place. Gawyn should not know as much about Demandred as we do, who have had access to the deepest levels of information available, unlike Gawyn.
This would make it seem as if Brandon completely invented Demandred's whole swordfighting plot arc in AMOL, and threw in that random line just to try and soften the impact a bit.
The questions are endless, but what I am trying to determine is how much of AMOL answers longstanding questions on for example the comparative strength of channelers based on RJ's own views, and how much of it is simply interpretation and adaption from Brandons' imagination?
Can a normal Aes Sedai really split her flows three ways and simultaneously shield two full Ashaman?
In Brandon's view she can, but this is not at all the impression that RJ has conveyed up to now.
Was Egwene's death clearly described by RJ, or did Brandon make up the manner of her death, being told simply that she dies heroically in the Last Battle?
I guess the question is, can we take ANYTHING in AMOL as canon according to RJ, or is everything suspect due to Brandon's faulty understanding of RJ's views?